The invention relates to gas turbine engines. More particularly, the invention relates to casting of cooled shrouds or blade outer air seals (BOAS).
BOAS segments may be internally cooled by bleed air. For example, there may be an upstream-to-downstream array of circumferentially-extending cooling passageway legs within the BOAS. Cooling air may be fed into the passageway legs from the outboard (OD) side of the BOAS (e.g., via one or more inlet ports at ends of the passageway legs). The cooling air may exit the legs through outlet ports in the circumferential ends (matefaces) of the BOAS so as to be vented into the adjacent inter-segment region. The vented air may, for example, help cool adjacent BOAS segments and purge the gap to prevent gas ingestion.
The BOAS segments may be cast via an investment casting process. In an exemplary casting process, a ceramic casting core is used to form the passageway legs. The core has legs corresponding to the passageway legs. The core legs extend between first and second end portions of the core. The core may be placed in a die. Wax may be molded in the die over the core legs to form a pattern. The pattern may be shelled (e.g., a stuccoing process to form a ceramic shell). The wax may be removed from the shell. Metal may be cast in the shell over the core. The shell and core may be destructively removed. After core removal, the core legs leave the passageway legs in the casting. The as-cast passageway legs are open at both circumferential ends of the raw BOAS casting. At least some of the end openings are closed via plug welding, braze pins, or other means. Air inlets to the passageway legs may be drilled from the OD side of the casting.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/502,046, filed Aug. 10, 2006 discloses use of a refractory metal core configured to reduce the number of end openings which must then be closed.